NEET UG 2024 results: SC issues notice to Centre, NTA on CBI probe into paper leak allegations

The Supreme Court on June 14 issued notices to the Centre and the NTA on plea requesting for CBI investigation into allegations of question paper leak, other irregularities in NEET UG 2024.

Moreover, a vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta also issued notices to parties on the plea of National Testing Agency (NTA), which sought transfer of petitions from high courts to the apex court. The Supreme Court will take up NTA's petition on July 8.

Several petitions have been submitted to high courts and the Supreme Court, raising various allegations, including paper leaks, grace marks, and a significant increase in high scorers.

On June 13, the Centre informed the Supreme Court about its decision to cancel the scorecards of 1,563 NEET-UG 2024 candidates, who were awarded grace marks. The Centre has further disclosed that these 1,563 students will have the opportunity to take a re-test.

The Centre after the SC hearing said that the affected students will soon be notified of their revised scores, which will exclude any grace marks awarded previously. They will then have the choice to opt for a re-examination. The results of those students who opt not to take the re-test will be based on the original exam conducted on May 5.

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has indicated that the re-test is anticipated to occur on June 23, with the results expected to be released before June 30. Furthermore, counselling sessions are set to commence on July 6 following the outcome of the re-test.

The newly-appointed education minister Dharmendra Pradhan has refuted allegations of any malpractice in the exam. 

One of the major controversies was fueled by a particular physics question that purportedly had two valid answers. The situation got out of hand when 44 of the 67 toppers were among the grace marks beneficiaries due to incorrectly marking a specific physics question. 

The move by the government comes after widespread protests raging nationwide over alleged irregularities surrounding the declaration of results for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) 2024. NEET results serve as a foundational platform for securing entries into various medical courses throughout India.